


we were eleven

by halfmoonjisung



Series: promises through numbers [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Childhood Promises, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Not Beta Read, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, We Die Like Men, but is he really, flirty jaemin, inspired by a tweet, kinda indifferent renjun, renmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23576098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfmoonjisung/pseuds/halfmoonjisung
Summary: “You said you wanted to marry me!”“That was when we were in fifth grade!”
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin
Series: promises through numbers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697254
Comments: 39
Kudos: 494





	we were eleven

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is the first part of my new series “promises through numbers” where nct/wayv members make promises involving time, age, and other more numerical concepts.
> 
> this is highkey inspired by that one viral renmin tweet and i just really wanted to write fluffy renmin ;-;
> 
> enjoy! ♡ (i’ll edit this properly soon)

**_renjun, high school junior year_ **

“Oh, this is a good one,” Jisung giggled as he unfolded the paper he drew from the  _ Dare  _ cup. “Sit on someone in the circle’s lap until the game ends. If the bottle lands on the both of you, you will either both do the required dare or both answer the truth question.”

Donghyuck scanned the room, his lips forming a smile as soon as he set his eyes on a refusing Jeno. “No,” he even said, still shaking his head and backing away from an approaching Donghyuck. “No way!”

But Donghyuck was already climbing on Jeno’s lap and soon enough, he found his place with the other, a mischievous smile plastered on his smug face. Jeno audibly groaned in annoyance before laughing in defeat, still making no effort to push Donghyuck away. “I like this dare,” he beamed, leaning backwards to rest on Jeno’s frame. “I like this new seat too.”

“Please, spin the bottle and let someone else suffer,” Jeno begged, but Renjun saw a hint of a smile on his lips when he said so.

Donghyuck stretched out his arm to be able to spin the bottle without leaving Jeno’s lap. The moment he managed to do so, he went back to his comfortable position, resting his head at the space between Jeno’s head and shoulder. 

The bottle spun while Chenle, who had picked dare three times already, was begging loudly in the air to not have the bottle land in his direction. Whoever he was calling out to seemed to have listened to him because the bottle didn’t, in fact, point at him.

It pointed at Renjun.

Donghyuck let out a cheer as Mark shouted “Finally!” from his place.

“About time he suffers,” Chenle added. “I had to do three dares which were all pretty unpleasant.”

“You picked dare three times,” Jisung pointed out.

“I’m not giving you the satisfaction of knowing my secrets.”

“So instead, you resort to embarrassing yourself.”

“Well—“

“Back to Renjun!” Donghyuck declared, clapping his hands excitedly. “After twenty spins, we finally get to give him a chance to choose.”

“Gee, I feel lucky,” Renjun said, stretching his limbs.

“We don’t appreciate the sarcasm, sweetheart, but anyway!” Donghyuck beamed at him, hands now clasped in anticipation. “Truth or dare?”

He thought back of the dares the others had to go through. All of them gave a hand on the truths and dares that were going to be used in the game, and knowing how cruel they all could be, Renjun wasn’t taking any chances. “Truth.”

“You’re no fun!” Chenle complained. “I wrote one dare especially for you, and it wasn’t picked yet.” Jisung and Mark laughed at that.

“I, for one, am really glad you picked truth,” Jaemin said, speaking up from beside Jisung. He was looking at Renjun again with one of his stares, his smile so wide it reached his eyes which were sparkling teasingly. “I hope you get the one I wrote,” he continued, winking at Renjun.

Renjun threw a pillow at him in response.

“Okay, I’ll pick Renjun’s truth now!” Donghyuck announced as Mark passed the cup containing the papers with the truths because the other refused to leave his leisure on Jeno’s lap. When he picked one, he read it on his own first with Jeno craning his head a little bit to read it too. “This is no fun,” Donghyuck whined. “Can’t we change it?”

Renjun let out a celebratory cheer. “You can’t!” He stuck out his tongue at Donghyuck who just rolled his eyes.

Jeno, however, read the truth out loud. “Who is your first boyfriend?”

“See!” Donghyuck wailed before pointing an accusatory finger at everyone. “Who wrote this?”

Jaemin giggled in response. Donghyuck groaned.

“Why?” he wailed once more, thrashing lightly on Jeno who was only laughing at Donghyuck’s despair.

“It’s okay!” Jaemin said, now looking at Renjun. “I really wrote that for Renjun. It’s fate, if you ask me.”

“You,” Donghyuck deadpanned. “Are not allowed to join any other games of truth or dare anymore.”

But Jaemin was pointedly ignoring him, attention still on Renjun. “So? Who’s your first boyfriend?”

Renjun smirked. ”Easy. I don’t have one.”

He expected everyone to at least look disappointed at the question, mainly because it was the truth—Renjun never had a boyfriend, but he didn’t really care. It’s not like he wanted one, anyway. And no one indeed looked surprised with his answer, except one.

“What? No!” Jaemin protested. “What do you mean you don’t have one?”

“It means I never had a boyfriend,” Renjun clarified, shrugging.

Jaemin didn’t seem like he was having any of it. “Oh come on,” he got out of his cross legged sitting position and kneeled on the floor, looking directly at Renjun. “You had one!”

“I don’t think so?” Renjun replied, sounding unsure.

Jaemin looked like he was about to go over there and shake him constantly. “You had!”

Renjun furrowed his brows in confusion, trying to make sense of Jaemin’s persistence. It took him a few seconds before realization dawned over him as he blushed furiously and yelled, “That doesn’t count!”

“Wait—“ Chenle began.

“What does?” Mark asked.

“Are you—“ Jisung chimed in.

“Oh, this is good! This is what I want to see!” Donghyuck giggled, bouncing lightly on Jeno’s lap who winced at his movement.

“What do you mean it doesn’t count?” Jaemin whined, before pouting and putting his fist over his chest, where his heart was located. “You’re hurting my feelings.”

“Oh my god,” Renjun groaned. “You’re not seriously doing this.”

“Wait,” Jeno interrupted. “I’m lost.”

“Me too,” Mark added, scratching the back of his head.

“Who’s Renjun hyung’s first boyfriend?” Jisung finally asked.

Before Renjun could even answer, Jaemin beat him to it. “Me!”

Donghyuck laughed in glee.

“What?!” Chenle exclaimed.

“He’s not!” Renjun groaned in frustration. “We were never boyfriends.”

“Oh come on, Junnie,” Jaemin was now smiling at him again, having gained the reaction he wanted from the audience. “Remember when we were eleven?”

Jeno scoffed. “Eleven?”

“What happened when you guys were eleven?” Donghyuck prompted teasingly.

“Ignore him,” Renjun waved his hand in the air as if swatting away every comment that was being thrown. “It was just because of a stupid booth from one of those classroom events for a school fair.”

“What booth?” Chenle asked while giggling, not even affected that no one answered him.

“It wasn’t a stupid booth!” Jaemin defended. For a moment, Renjun couldn’t tell if he was still doing this for fun or if he really did see a flash of genuine hurt in his eyes.

The other five in the room were all laughing in amusement now, and it was just like Renjun and Jaemin were the only ones in the room talking—well, yelling.

Nevertheless, he responded, “Regardless of that, you were never my boyfriend!”

“You said you wanted to marry me!” Jaemin huffed, pouting after.

Renjun let out an exasperated sigh. “That was when we were in fifth grade!”

**_renjun and jaemin, fifth grade_ **

“Junnie,” Jaemin poked at Renjun who was still looking at the plushies the other classroom had for prizes in their booth. “I’m bored.”

Renjun turned to his friend who had a pout on his face, giving him his trademark puppy eyes. “What do you want to do then, Nana?”

“I don’t know,” Jaemin answered truthfully, still clinging onto Renjun’s arm. “I’m tired of seeing these plushies, though. It’s not like we can win them.”

“Hey!” Renjun pouted, hitting Jaemin’s arm lightly. “I tried to win the shark one!”

“I know,” Jaemin giggled at how cute Renjun was when he pouted. “I saw you. You suck though!”

Renjun huffed. “At least I tried!”

Jaemin tugged at Renjun’s uniform’s sleeve once again. “Junnie…” he trailed. “I’m bored.”

Renjun glanced at the booths the classrooms had prepared. Their own was a cute little bear stuffing station that their homeroom adviser and her wife were managing, so she just encouraged the children to have fun at the fair and roam around. Jaemin immediately grabbed Renjun and led him to the hallways where the other classrooms had their booths set up. Renjun stopped them at a toss the ring booth in an attempt to win the shark plushie that caught their eye, but he didn’t succeed.

“Let’s walk a little bit more,” he declared. “Then we can find somewhere to have fun.”

“Hmm…” Jaemin put his finger on his chin. “I think anywhere is fun with you.”

Renjun only laughed at him. “But you just said you were bored.”

“I like being bored with you!” Jaemin beamed. Renjun was mesmerized at how effortless Jaemin was when he looked pretty, just smiling and looking at Renjun like he saw a diamond or something close to that.

He smiled at him before taking his hand. “Let’s go walk then.”

Jaemin’s heart leaped when Renjun took his hand as well as when he caught a glimpse of the smile the other just gave him. Renjun led the way, Jaemin trailing behind, their hands still connected as they passed through every booth. Renjun was humming a song the both of them had recently listened to on the radio as they walked. Jaemin liked it whenever Renjun sang a song—he imagines it must be how angels sound like when he sings, because that was how he saw him; an angel.

Renjun stopped walking as he observed a booth from one of the sixth graders’ classrooms. Jaemin turned to look at what he was looking at and his eyes widened.

There were pretty white flowers outlining the arc at their doorway, cakes and other pastries set up on a table outside, and a huge banner on the wall that said “Marriage Booth” in a pretty floral font.

“That’s cute,” Renjun commented.

“It is,” Jaemin agreed, his eyes going back to the pastries, spotting the vanilla cupcakes with the prettiest rose shaped frosting he has ever seen. “That looks delicious.”

“Ooooo!” Renjun exclaimed in awe. “Do you think we can buy them?”

“Sorry, they’re not for sale,” someone said. Renjun and Jaemin turned to look at the owner of the voice and saw a tall sixth grader smiling at them. Renjun noted the “Yukhei” in his name tag, realizing that he was probably one of the people who organized the booth.

Renjun turned to Jaemin who was pouting at the cupcakes. He looked back to Lucas who was still smiling at them. “Can’t I really buy just one? My friend really wants them.”

“I’m sorry,” Yukhei repeated, but the smile never left his face. “We only give them away to those who participate in the marriage booth.”

“What do you do in the marriage booth?” Renjun asked.

“Well,” Yukhei’s smile was growing. “Two people enter the booth and pretend to get married! That’s all! We’re going to give them rings and then after that, they can get any pastry they want.”

Renjun turned back to look at Jaemin who was still looking at the cupcake. An idea crossed his mind before he returned his attention to a still smiling Yukhei. “If I marry him, will you give him both our cupcakes?”

Yukhei nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! If he agrees, that is.”

Renjun poked at Jaemin, trying to catch his attention. When the other turned to him, he immediately said, “Nana, let’s get married.”

Jaemin raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“I want to marry you!” Renjun beamed, giving Jaemin one of his angelic smiles again. “And give you the pretty cupcakes!” He turned to Yukhei for reassurance. “I can marry him, right? He’s my favorite friend.”

Jaemin smiled when he heard Renjun call him his favorite, but he smiled even wider when Renjun said he wanted to marry him.

“Nana,” Yukhei called to Jaemin. “Do you want to marry Renjun?”

He turned to look at the expectang Renjun, looking at him like the way he always has, like Jaemin was the only thing in the world—his favorite thing in the world. At that, he nodded eagerly. “Yeah!”

Renjun turned to Yukhei. “How much do we have to pay?”

The older only smiled, as usual, in response. “Don’t worry about it. I got you both, come in!”

Yukhei led the two of them to a table where several pairs of fake wedding rings were laid out. Jaemin, still holding onto Renjun as they scanned each one. Renjun pointed at the one that looked the plainest, and Jaemin asked why. “It looks strong,” he explained. “The other fancy designs could easily wear out in years. That one’s gonna last.”

Yukhei handed them the pair and brought the two of them to another guy inside a made up tent fort who Jaemin assumed was supposed to be the wedding presider. Like Yukhei, he had a name tag, but his read “Xiaojun”.

“Oh!” he exclaimed when he saw Renjun and Jaemin walking towards him. He then smiled, the same one Yukhei had all throughout their encounter. “You’re both cute.”

Xiaojun made them face each other before reciting a speech, and at any given moment, Jaemin would make a funny face, hoping to make Renjun at least giggle and not once did he fail. Renjun admired his friend, at how cute he looked when he did the funny faces and at how pretty he looked when he smiled after.

Xiaojun made them join hands. “You may now recite your vows to each other,” he said. “Renjun?”

“Hmm…” he pretended to think. “Nana, I know you didn’t mean it when you teased me all the time during first grade. You admitted two weeks after that it was because you didn’t know how to get my attention and you really wanted to be friends. I thought that was ridiculous, because even if you didn’t do that, I would’ve noticed you and I would’ve still become your friend. I’ve only been your friend for five years, but I hope we can become like this for five more, and another five, and lots more of five years that life allows! I’m lucky you’re my friend and I’m lucky that you’re in front of me right now. You’ll always be my favorite, I promise.”

Xiaojun smiled and then turned to Jaemin. “Your turn.”

“Junnie!” he started brightly. “I admit, I thought you were really not going to notice me because I thought you were a snob. But I don’t think of that now! Now, I think of you as the complete opposite. You always do your best to cheer me up, to support me in everything, to clap the loudest when I recite in class, to win a shark plushie even when you suck at it, to be the best friend I could ever ask for! You coming to my life was like life sending me my guardian angel by my side. I think you’re my angel, Junnie. Angels are beautiful, sweet, and have really pretty voices you would love to listen to. You have all of that. I’m lucky you’re my angel! And I will always be here by your side to take care of you, too!”

Xiaojun nodded, the smile on his face growing wider. “Do you, Renjun, take Jaemin as your—“ he paused for a while, before continuing with an even bigger smile and more joyful tone. “—favorite, in good days and bad days, and everything in between?”

“I do!” Renjun replied without hesitation.

“And do you, Jaemin, take Renjun as your angel, in good days and bad days, and everything in between?”

“I do!” Jaemin beamed in a heartbeat.

They each placed the rings they got onto each other’s fingers, the both of them laughing while doing so.

“By the power vested upon me by the classroom officers,” Xiaojun said. “I now pronounce you, soulmates!”

“Do I get to kiss him?” Jaemin asked, but before Xiaojun could reply, Renjun already planted a soft kiss on his cheek, giggling afterwards.

Yukhei returned and ushered them outside where the pastries were located. He handed them each a cupcake, Renjun giving his to Jaemin afterwards. They both bid goodbye to the older and returned to walking in the hallway.

“What if,” Jaemin said after taking a bite from one of the cupcakes. “I do marry you in the future, too?”

Renjun laughed. “You really like those cupcakes?”

“Well, I like the cupcakes,” Jaemin agreed. “But I like you more.”

Renjun raised his hand, showing the plastic ring that was on his ring finger. “If we still have these rings…”

“Then I can marry you?”

Renjun laughed, linking his arm around Jaemin’s. “We’ll see.”

**_jaemin, high school junior year_ **

“Here,” Jaemin handed Renjun the notes he borrowed as they stood in front of Renjun’s locker. “I finished copying them.”

“That’s cool,” Renjun acknowledged, taking his notes from Jaemin and putting them in his bag. “You returned them faster than Donghyuck.”

Jaemin hummed in response, still rooted at his spot as Renjun tried to fix the contents of his bag and locker. When he realized that Jaemin still wasn’t leaving, he turned back to him. “What are you still doing here?”

“Admiring you.”

Renjun rolled his eyes. “Sure, you are.”

“Hey!” Jaemin protested. “I wasn’t kidding. You know, I was still pretty hurt about you rejecting me back there at Chenle’s sleepover.”

Renjun looked at him ridiculously. “In which part of that entire conversation did I reject you in any way?”

Jaemin was about to pout again, but Renjun looked so cute he couldn’t stop the smile forming in his lips. “Everything!”

The other rolled his eyes. “There was never something to begin with for me to reject you?”

Jaemin frowned. “You didn’t admit that I was your first boyfriend.”

“Jaemin, I don’t think I ever called you my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, you only called me your favorite,” he teased. Renjun groaned and looked at him pointedly, but before he could say anything, Jaemin was speaking again. “You promised! You said I will always be your favorite.”

“Oh my god,” Renjun muttered. “We were eleven!”

“So what?” Jaemin now managed to pout. “I thought you were an angel when we were eleven. Until now, I do.”

The other rolled his eyes. “How long are you going to keep this up?”

“Keep what up?”

“This—flirty thing,” Renjun said, a bitter tone hinted underneath. He was looking everywhere but Jaemin’s eyes. “I know you’re like this with everyone—with Hyuck, with Jeno, Chenle, Jisung, even with Mark! So…”

Jaemin narrowed his eyes. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked carefully. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it made you uncomfortable.”

“No, no, don’t be,” Renjun said, still refusing to meet Jaemin’s eyes. “It’s just that… when you do it with me…”

Jaemin held his breath, waiting for Renjun’s answer, his heart beating faster in his chest. However, the other only let out a heavy sigh. “Nevermind. I’m going to go now.”

Before Renjun’s figure could fully retreat from Jaemin’s sight, he called to him. “Wait!” Renjun stopped in his tracks, and Jaemin quickly took his house keys from his pocket and carefully took out a plastic ring from it. “I kept this.”

Renjun slowly turned around, eyes landing on the promise ring he and Jaemin had given to each other when they were eleven. “I can’t wear it anymore, my fingers are too large,” Jaemin explained. “But I didn’t want to lose it. And besides, this one holds a promise up until today I’m still holding onto.”

Renjun laughed, and that alone made Jaemin smile. “I assume you still really like the cupcakes that came with that.”

“Well, I do,” Jaemin answered, approaching Renjun who didn’t walk away this time. “But I really like you more.”

For a moment, they just stared at each other, the plastic ring in the middle of the space between them. Jaemin’s heart was pounding as he waited for Renjun to say anything, but instead he was confused when the other started to grab his wallet instead.

“Well—“ he stopped himself when he realized that Renjun was taking something out of it. Right there, in between his fingers, was the same promise ring that Jaemin was holding right now.

“I kept mine too,” Renjun said. “Just so you know. I guess that’s why I was a bit… affected whenever you’re flirty with me. It’s just…”

“I know,” Jaemin said when Renjun couldn’t find the next words. “Don’t worry, I only mean those things to people who were willing to get hitched to me just because my hungry self wanted some sweets.”

Renjun rolled his eyes, but he still had a smile on his face. “You’re ridiculous,”

“So,” Jaemin grinned, looking at Renjun the way he always had. “Am I your first boyfriend now?”

Renjun narrowed his eyes. “Ask me properly this time and you just might.”

Jaemin laughed, but he still did so. “Hey angel, will you be my boyfriend?”

Instead of a yes, Renjun stood on his tip toes, kissing Jaemin’s cheek again, leaving them both with flushed faces and wide smiles. “Have been since we were eleven.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! comments and kudos will be very very appreciated!
> 
> find me on twitter @halfmoonjisung i write aus too hehe
> 
> (for the next part, it’ll be either nohyuck or dojae :0 which one would you like to see?)


End file.
